Three kids, two parents, one crazy cat and a sweet pup traveling the world. We have completed our Unaccompanied Tour and are now shouting out from Managua, Nicaragua. The blog is authored by Jen, fueled by too much coffee and too little sleep. Follow us as we explore the world!

May 28, 2010

They're heeere!

The massive truck pulled up and settled down with a thunk in front of our neighbor's house yesterday. The door creaked open and out spilled boxes, rolls of paper, boxes and boxes of tape and a mountain of shrink wrap. It wasn't long before the only sounds in the house were the screech of the tape being pulled off the roll and the crumpling of massive amounts of paper (can I apologize to the trees once again?).

Despite the fact I thought it would be a crazy day..well, it was a bit nutty when the movers, plumber and painter arrived almost at the same time, two out of three needed payment by check (and the checkbook was with me while I got the kids to school and the sitter), and assistance with matching colors and the occasional, "This goes (insert piece of furniture labeled "DON'T MOVE" here*), right?" floated down the stairs while Peter struggled to multi-task.

I had stayed at the hotel the night before so the kids could get settled and sleep, while Peter opted for the occasional catnap on the couch. He stayed the night at the house in order to finish up a few remaining organizational issues. He was the first (and only) on the scene when they arrived. After getting the kids where they needed to go, I arrived to pay folks and assess the general situation. The packing was already well under way by the time I took a good look, and the by noon, it seemed as though the downstairs was ready to be loaded on a truck. Not entirely the case, but the movers assured and re-assured us that this was by far not their most difficult move. Not that it should be, but that worry always sits there in the back of my mind...

In fact, things went so smoothly, that both of us had time to retreat to the hotel, shower, and don our Sunday best for Kelsey's school concert and art show last night. We finished up the night with a trip to the local yogurt shop with friends and treated ourselves to take-out Chinese, before heading back to the hotel to finish homework, get the kids to bed, and hopefully get a bit of shut-eye ourselves before starting all over again this morning. Now off to get another cup of coffee and then soon the truck loading will begin! One more day, one more day....

*The movers later pointed out that the "don't move" signs were tiny .5 inch by .5 inch Post It note flags (one per item), not the poster board size sign in red marker one might normally expect.

Thanks! Turns out the best method was making a "don't move" pile in the garage...everything from the mirrors on the walls to the homeowner's shoe rack to the ottoman from the master bath went there til the truck pulled away.

Shannon, Pete will be jealous, as German is one of his other languages...he would have loved to make signs in German...and thinking back, when we left Iceland, we had Polish movers...no languages between us, so no signs!

Hi Jen,
Happy journey to DC! We would LOVE to play when you guys get settled out here. And now that my back is feeling better, I hope to reflect a much cheerier personality (not the sloth I was when we met). Am MUCH better at directions now too :) Just drop us a line when you are settled. We'll be here until 1st week of October, minus a few days here or there.